May 15, 2016
Scientists Hold Secret Meeting to Consider Creating a Synthetic Human Genome
Posted by Aleksandar Vukovic in categories: biotech/medical, genetics
George Church, a professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School and an organizer of the proposed project, said there had been a misunderstanding. The project was not aimed at creating people, just cells, and would not be restricted to human genomes, he said. Rather it would aim to improve the ability to synthesize DNA in general, which could be applied to various animals, plants and microbes.
The project poses ethical issues about whether humans could be created without parents.